Disclaimer:
I have only read two Daphne du Maurier books so far (including this one) and I am madly in love with her (and of-course her stories, characters and so much more) so please excuse my blabber and get all her books without fail and read them ASAP.
Last year I picked up only two books per Author (how I regret) from my favorite book store in Bangalore (Blossoms) at throw away prices and fortunately have still not run out of stock :) I am covered till July of next year judging by my speed of reading before I could lay my hands on any new books. This is the second from Daphne du Maurier that I just picked up seeing her name on top with no idea of its content or how fantastic its going to be (going by her fan following) and what a magical journey this short and sweet had been. If you have read "Time Machine" by HG Wells and think it is only him who could do that any better, boy O boy, how mistaken you are in thinking that. You've got to read this and see for yourself how Ms. Maurier makes not only her protagonist travel back in time but takes the reader into a journey of a life-time. On top of that my favorite point of the whole book is that it is written in first person form with the protagonist telling his own story to us that too from the point of view of a Man (I am really in love big time with Daphne du Maurier's sense of humor) especially the way she makes a man thinks of a woman or at least he tries to think what she must be thinking or why they do what they do, it was totally hilarious and I even quoted a few lines to my wife while reading the book and she grinned saying "See, nothing was different even 50 years ago".
One heck of a story of two close friends from Cambridge, one a maverick scientist experimenting on the potions that he made on his best friend who has no issues on becoming a guinea-pig for his mate. First of all I never expected this kind of a story from Daphne du Maurier especially after loving her "Rebecca" which was hauntingly amazing story that I will never forget for life. Actually the scientist uncovers a chapter from History from the area where he has his ancestral house and needs his friend to verify the same for him. The chapter is almost six centuries old, and how they uncover the dark past of a woman "Isolda" is the rest of the story told back in forth in past and present. Just like Rebecca, the reader falls head over heels for Isolda and joins the protagonist in uncovering the truth and to know more about the intriguing woman. He has his own family to take care of, with two step sons in toe and a demanding wife on the back, how he handles his time for experimenting with time-travel to uncover the story for himself is one heck of a story. It works like a perfect thriller, I was simply not able to put down the book with hardly 350+ pages I raced to the ending with so much going in my head. Fantastic is the way how she makes her character travel and merge his present with the past. She was not only able to kept me glued to the story but she even allowed to have my own imagination go past her writing :) like I started expecting a few things and the best part was that she even delivered on my imagination to an extent, how I wish to tell you everything about it right now but you will have to read the book to set your own expectations and see them fulfilled by Ms Maurier in full style.
It is indeed a beautiful story and she almost answers all the queries of reader in her own ways, like I was curious to know if the people from past would be able to see our man in their time? What if he touches anyone or tries to help them in some ways? What if he is standing at a place back in time where in present there is something else? will that impact his presence there? Because the entire story takes place in the countryside yet there is so much imminent danger to the man who is performing the experiment that too without anyone's knowledge and his own friend who invented the potion is miles away, the only way they communicate is through telephone that too much against his wife's approval of the said scientist. I guess this is the second book that I have read in the recent times on Time-Travel but no doubt the amazing way how she made it out in story is almost at par with Mr. Wells. The ending is simply mind-blowing as the reader keeps asking about the title of the book :).
Have you read "The House on the Strand" by Daphne du Maurier or "Time Machine" by HG Wells? Which one is your favorite on time travel? Is there any other book which comes any closer to these two gems? Do let me know as I would love to know what you feel about them and if you can recommend anything on the subject. I've got to get so much of Daphne du Maurier that too like NOW :)
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